This is the personal blog of Charity Runner Kino, a 5 Hour Marathoner turned 3:15 Marathoner, who has traveled the world running over 200 marathons & ultras, raising awareness and funding for various charitable causes while encouraging others to do the same, hence #kinosfault.

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2012/11/13

Team Orange is a group of runners and friends of runners, who realized that we could put our able bodies to good use by volunteering our time to aid Hurricane Sandy victims in the rescue clean up efforts in The Rockaways and Staten Island in New York City.

Not all of us are runners, but we have decided to wear the color orange to signify that even though the 2012 New York City Marathon (orange is the signature color for the race) was cancelled, the spirit of the dedication, comraderie, and hard work from training for a race can live on through volunteerism and assisting those who are in dire need of picking up and carrying on with their lives. We aim to contribute physical labor in clearing out debris.

If you cannot donate your time to join us with the cleanup efforts, but would like to contribute financial aid, it would be greatly appreciated if you could donate to Team Rubicon through our fundraiser site. Team Rubicon is a superb relief organization that we team up with for our Rockaways cleanup efforts.

About Team Rubicon:Team Rubicon Member Harry Golden's YouTube Video Testimony
"Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical professionals to deploy vanguard teams that bridge the gap in disaster response. Since its creation in January 2010, TR has saved and helped thousands of lives – in Haiti, Chile, Burma, Pakistan, Sudan, and here at home. TR reaches victims outside the scope of where traditional aid organizations venture; victims on the fringe.

Team Rubicon Engages Veterans. Hundreds of US military veterans, many returning home after fighting ten years of war, find a renewed sense of purpose for their skills and experiences through TR."

If you tweet about Team Orange, plesae use hashtag #TeamOrangeNYC . If you would like to post our fundraiser URL, please use http://www.crowdrise.com/teamorange . 100% of donations go to the team in the field to aid and assist Hurricane Sandy victims.

[Note: This information was posted on 2012/11/13. Since then, most of these volunteer staging areas have been dismantled. The information will remain here for archive purposes.]

Info on How to Volunteer (Even Without a Car)
Are you willing to volunteer and provide "boots on the ground" for the Hurricane Sandy clean up efforts in NYC, but are having a hard time coming across useful info on where to go and how to help? If so, you're not the only one. I was having the same difficulty. It took me many hours of visiting websites and reading newspaper articles, but I finally came across great organizations to volunteer for. I can personally attest that each of the organizations above is reputable and great to work with.

Below are directions on how to use public transit to show up to each of the organizations' staging areas and begin the vital clean up work. Note that commute times are extremely long because all of these areas are disaster zones. Don't expect your cell phones to work (these areas have NO ELECTRICITY), so print out the directions below (and from Google Maps) before you go. Typical one way commutes range from 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on traffic conditions in various parts of NYC.

Subway/Bus/Ferry to Midland Beach:MTA X1 BusX1 Bus Schedule (Sat times on page 14 & Sun times on page 16), Metrocards are accepted
- Take (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(A)(C)(E)(N)(R)(J)(Z) to City Hall/Chambers St area.
- Walk to Broadway & Park Pl, take X1 Express bus towards Staten Island to Hylan Blvd & New Dorp La in New Dorp (35 mins, 20 stops).
- Walk down New Dorp La towards the beach then make a left on Cedargrove Ave to Hallowed Sons MC in the parking lot at Wavecrest St (18mins, 0.9 miles).
Note the X1 Bus also stops at many places in Midtown along 5 Av (see page 17 of Schedule above).

Staten Island FerryFerry Schedule
You can bring bicycles aboard.
- Take (1)(2)(3)4)(5)(N)(R) to South Ferry/Bowling Green/Wall St in Manhattan then walk to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal at South Ferry.
- Take the Staten Island Ferry (free) to St George in Staten Island.
- Take SI Railway (Map)to New Dorp (16 mins, 8 stops). Metrocards are accepted.
- Walk down New Dorp La towards the beach then make a left on Cedargrove Ave to Hallowed Sons MC in the parking lot at Wavecrest St (26mins, 1.3 miles).

What to Bring?NYC Weekend WeatherNecessary Supplies
- Yourself (the most important element, just showing up makes a world of a difference to victims to show that you care & support them)
- Clothes that you are okay with getting dirty
- Working Boots (preferably steel-toed)
- Gloves
- Surgical Masks (preferably P95 surgical masks since you will be breathing in dust, dirt, & potential toxins)
- Headlamp or Flashlight (make sure your batteries work)
- Portable Cell Phone Charger (solar-powered or battery operated)
- Goggles (that don't fog)
- Tyvek Suits (if you will be doing demolition work)

2012/06/24

The inaugural Holy Family Memorial (HFM) Maritime Marathon in Manitowoc, Wisconsin took place today. It was my 81st full marathon, and 103rd overall marathon/ultra.

Oh my goodness! The 2nd half of this marathon became sauna hot! Pre-race, it had rained. It was nice and overcast, in the 60's F, during the 1st half, but reached the 70's F with the sun out in full force, evaporating all of the rain. We ran along Lake Michigan so were exposed to the sun.

I came in 20th Place overall out of 204 marathon finishers, in a time of 3:24:53.

THANK YOU so much to all those who have donated to my Back on My FeetNYC fundraiser, to help combat homeless!!!!! If you haven't donated and would like to, please visit:http://tinyurl.com/runkinobomfnyc

TownManitowoc is Wisconsin's Maritime Capitol, along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and has been renowned for shipbuilding, from schooners of the 19th century and, now to world class luxury yachts built by Burger Boat. At the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, you can go aboard the USS Cobia, one of the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc during World War II. There's a Budweiser plant across from the museum, but I doubt they have tours. There isn't much to do in this town, so I recommend, spending sightseeing time in Milwaukee (1hr 15mins away) or in Green Bay (45mins away).

HotelI would not recommend the Super 8 Motel on 4004 Calumet Ave. It was only $99 (race discount) and came with breakfast, but is along a highway (stripmall territory) and for late check-out, the best they could do for us was a 12pm check out (the race starts at 7am). Also, Peter & I ended up with 1 full size bed, and not 2 doubles. I did book the place a week before the race though.

The Best Western Lakefront Hotel on 101 Maritime Dr (across the street from packet pick up at the Wisconsin Maritime Hotel), 920-682-7000, would be a better option. It's a better chain and is located in town. They offer a "Schooner Coast Package" for $113.99, including breakfast for 2 and 2 adult admission to the museum.

CourseWe started on Viebahn St & S 8th St, by the University of Wisconsin - Manitowoc. We ran north along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and then along Mariner's Trail to Two Rivers (named so because the city has the West Twin River & East Twin River on both sides of its downtown penninsula) and turned around at the 13.1 mile mark in Point Beach State Park. There were marathoners, relay teams of 2, and relay teams of 4. There were 15 aid stations, with each having water & Gatorade, located at: Miles 1.7, 3.5, 5.7, 7.6, 9.1, 10.5, 11.5, 13.1, 14.5, 15.6, 16.9, 18.4, 20.3, 22.5, & 24.4. The Mile 13.1 aid station had fruit & bagels, and the Mile 18.4 aid station had G2 gels.

Packet Pickup: Snow King Resort400 E Snow King AveJackson, WY307-733-5200http://www.snowking.comFri 6/15, 5-8pmRD's words: "You can also pickup your bib at the starting line starting at 5:45am Saturday morning, but your goody bag and t-shirt can be picked up at the finish line after the race. If you are coming in late and want to have a friend pick up for you on Friday night, that is fine as well."Both Josh & Pam were extremely friendly, they even issued Steven & I $20 checks to make up for the cancellation of the full marathon course (more to follow as you read along).

Host Hotel:The Inn at Jackson Hole3345 West Village DriveTeton Village, WY 83025800-842-7666Standard Room (double beds): $119 per night (used Teton Marathon rate), prepaid 7 day cancellation policy, Total $273.94.Walking distance to finish line / shuttles to Half Marathon start (in Teton Village), not the Full Marathon start (Phil Baux Park in Jackson).From/To JAC Airport: $26 for shuttle, $60 for taxi (flatrate). Car rental is $60/day, so is a better option and gives you the flexibility to visit the nearby Grand Teton National Park, and also Yellowstone National Park.

Logistics:From NYC, Steven Thunder Lee & I traveled on AA from LGA via DFW to JAC. We rented a car at JAC. The airport is small but well run and picking up the car rental took no time at all. The airport did not have traditional gates, and we deplaned using a mobile staircase (similar to Missoula, MT) and were greeted by stunning snow-capped mountain vistas! The entrance into the airport had a deer horn arch, welcoming us to "Jackson Hole".

Course:RD's words: "The ½ marathon course is beautiful and you guys are the luckiest people in the world as you get to see it twice!! Thanks for bearing with us on the route change. This note is in way of some last minute reminders to ensure everything goes off without a hitch this weekend. PLEASE NOTE: We are changing the marathon start to 6am since we are now doing an out and back course. This will ensure that you won't have to battle the crowds of the ½ marathoners head on."

"There is only one big street crossing and that is as you turn right off of Hwy 22 onto Hwy 390 (Moose Wilson Blvd?). You have to cross 390 within the first 100 meters to connect with the bike path on the opposite side of the street at the drive-in to a local park."

"Remember, true hydration is at a cellular level and does not happen by pounding 2 gallons of water the day before the race. Those who are not regularly hydrating and try the shortcut will just spend more time in the bathroom on race day! Don't be fooled by the expected cooler weather into thinking you don't need to stay as hydrated. Remember that you are still at 6,200 ft elevation so you will naturally dehydrate faster if you are not acclimated to the elevation. Water stations will be every 2 miles starting at mile 2 (so 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). We will have some setup at the ½ way point but that will make it a 3 mile gap between miles 10 and 13 and 13 and 16. There will be Cliff gels and Jelly Belly Sport Beans at miles 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 20, 22, and 24 as well. Gatorade will also be on tap at miles 2, 4, 6, 8, 18, 20, and 22. There will be port-a-potties at the start and finish line. They will also be at mile 8 and 13 and usually the school has one which will be your mile 3 and 23."

The course was not a typical high altitude "net downhill" course since the point-to-point full marathon course was canceled a week prior, and we had to run the half marathon course backwards and then forwards with the half marathoners.

The full marathoners were allowed to start anytime from 6am (3hrs before the half marathon start, 13.1 miles away at Teton Village), as long as we made it to the turnaround before 9am. We were responsible for self-timing our 1st halfs, and then starting the "half marathon" at 9am.

We started at Phil Baux Park (next to Snow King Resort where packet pickup was) and immediately turned left onto E Snow King Ave, which then turned into W Snow King Ave at S Carcas(sp?) St(?). We followed the flour markings in the opposite direction. The markings were pretty good and we did not get lost, which was my #1 concern going into this non-traditional half marathon x2 course. However, our friend Jeff Hill did miss a turn early on and found himself lost.

Steven & I ran together for the 1st half. We didn't see any other runners, but it was a nice, serene, & scenic. We took a lot of pictures. They had unmanned aid station with cups of water & Power Aid pre-poured for us, which was very nice. We didn't have to run with water bottles. I thought I took it easy, running a 1:52:31 (this proved not to be the case in the 2nd half, as I could not push). We timed our run perfectly and made it to the half marathon "start" at 8:57am, enough time to grab some water then start the 2nd 1/2. We didn't want to start too early for risk of cramping from standing / waiting around.

The 1st half was net uphill, by maybe 100ft? The 2nd half was supposed to be easier since it's net downhill, but the altitude got to me and I ran a 2:03:45, for total marathon time of 3:56:16, just squeezing in a sub-4 marathon (my worst marathon time of 2012, even worse than Day 2 of my Mississippi+Alabama double in Jan, but hey, it's a sub-4, so I'll take it!) for my 28th state under 4hours (22 more to go for my "50sub4" goal).

The red shirt I'm wearing is the 50sub4 club shirt. Jeff, next to me, is the founder/President! He finished the 50sub4 trek a while ago. This was also State #43 for me. That means I still have to repeat 15 states!

The race was extremely beautiful! The snow capped mountains were visible from parts of the course. The start was chilly at 40F, even in June! It ended up in the low 70's F at the end of the race. We mostly ran on bike paths, but it was difficult to breathe as we are up "at altitude" at 6,200ft (1,000 feet above 1 mile / Denver), easily making it my most difficult sub-4 state. I've had worse finish times in other states, but I was in much better shape for this race (usually averaging 3:20s to 3:30s) and barely ended up sub-4'ing. If you're a flatlander, expect to run 1min/mile slower than what you are used to! You'll feel like you're gasping for air, and even drowning after you drink fluids at aid stations.

Post-Race Festival:RD's words: "There will be many opportunities to get the needed calories back into your system directly after the race. There will be Water, Vitamin Water, Muscle Milk, pizza from both local pizza joints Mountain High Pizza Pie and Pinky G's Pizzeria, Bagels from Pearl Street Bagel and Rolls from Great Harvest Bread. In addition, we will also have post-race Acupuncture treatments available from East of the Tetons Acupuncture and massage treatments by Chill Spa."

The awards ceremony took place after the last finisher crossed. Pam & Josh gave away a lot of prizes through a raffle (tickets were attached to our bibs). Prized included gift certificates to local stores, restaurants, & yoga classes. They even gave away a men's and women's cowboy hats! With only ~14 marathoners and ~200 half marathoners, your chances of winning something were high. Steve won a yoga gift certificate, but exchanged it for a $10 Haagen Daas gift certificate, which he later gave away to a local. The guy even won 3rd Place AG for the Half, even though he ran a 13.1 "warm up"! He never ceases to amaze.

Closing Notes:It's so beautiful here and is one of the most scenic places I have been to in the Lower 48. I truly enjoyed my time here and would definitely want to return, either to ski, or spend more time in Yellowstone National Park. We also visited Grand Teton National Park, post-race, as we only spent one full day in town. We were lucky enough to catch Old Faithful Geyser erupt (it erupts every 90mins +/- 10mins)!

The drive to Grand Teton from Jackson was quick, about 20mins to get into the park and another 10mins to the Visitor's Center. From there, it was another 2hrs (less if you don't make random stops to take pictures of wildlife) to get to Old Faithful within Yellowstone. We saw a bunch of elk, but did not spot any buffalo, as they are in a different section of the expansive park.

Near our hotel at Teton Village (where the famous Jackson Hole ski resort is), we spotted cows, horses, and even real cowboys herding their horses.

The town square area in Jackson is fun. It reminded me of Santa Fe, but even nicer. There are lots of hidden stores off of the square, so try walking around. For carbo-loading, we ate at Pinky G's Pizzeria in Jackson on W Broadway. They use gas ovens, and have a full bar with TV's that show sports games and ESPN Sportscenter. The pizza took a long time to make, but was pretty good. I liked the crust, and it still tasted good the next day. It was cheap, at $23 for a pie, but they allow half-half options. We had Margherita+3 Cheese (no tomato sauce w/ garlic & olive oil). Nearby there are also two other pizza places: Caldera and Mountain High.

A fun bar we visited was Million Dollar Cowboy Bar (they have a steakhouse downstairs), across the street from the square. We sat at the bar on their comfortable saddle bar stools, complete with stirrups! Patrons with cowboy hats were present. At night (busy nights only?) they charge a $5 cover. Their TV's show sports games. We tried elk cheeseburgers, which tasted leaner and healthier than beef, but not as tasty as ostrich. A let down here was that they served no beers on tap.

A great store for gifts is Jackson Mercantile, right off the square.

This area is also right next to a mountain with chair lifts (Snow King), so it's so close for skiing and summer mountain biking.

Aid Stations47 aid stations (table refreshment stations). They contain some combination of Energade, water, Pepsi, chocolate, oranges, bananas, potatoes, biscuits, vaseline, Amica Ice, Mageu Number 1, Mega Load (our tour bus guide warned us this is nasty, it's commonly eaten by the Blacks [term used by the guide] in South Africa), among other treats. Drinks are served in "sachets".

The 1st aid station doesn't appear until 4.8km, and the last one is at 86.2km (2.8km to the Finish). Most have its own corporate sponsor. The tables are 600m long, and are on avg 1.8km apart, with the closest being 1km apart, and the longest being 2.7km apart. There is aid everywhere! There were portable toilets are every station.

Reebok finisher's jackets are given only to those who finish the race in Reebok running sneakers. The race shirt given at the Expo is by Reebok, as is the hat given to the 1st 16,000 registrants.

NED Bank is a major sponsor, and sponsors many of the elite athletes. If you wear a non-NED Bank or official Comrades hat, are the only official branded head gear you are allowed to wear. The race marshals may ask you to remove it while on the course.

Bib must be worn on both the front and back of your jersey, not your shorts.

2012/05/06

Race Logistics
PVD is a nice small town, and we (Daiki, Jenny, & I) are enjoying our time up here. There are a lot of Italian and seafood restaurants. Thayer Street is a lively night time are with bars. There are clubs in downtown. I used to come up to here during college to visit my RISD friends Momoko and Daisuke. I was able to convince Daiki & Jenny to join me on this trip, last minute, because they have an affinity to this town, both having lived here.

I highly recommend staying at the Westin Providence (don't forget to earn your Starwoods points) on 1 W Exchange St in Downtown. It is connected to the Rhode Island Convention Center where the Marathon Expo is (the race has race day packet pick up from 6am with the race starting at 7:30am), and is next to Providence Place Mall. It is also a ridiculously close 2 min walk from the race start, so you can sleep in! Props to Jenny for securing a reservation here. The only drawback was that check-out was 12pm (even if you are a Starwoods member), but the hotel provided bag check and allowed you to shower in their fitness center for free (only if you stayed there, they will check).

The race shirts were pretty plain and white and ran large. I'm usually a large, but in this case, medium was my size. The race used b-tags, affixed at the back of the bibs, for its race chip timing. At the top of the bib is a post-race Narragansett Beer ticket, which our group didn't realize its purpose, and just tore off and disposed of. It simply said "Narragansett" and nothing else. There was a beer tent and food at the post-race festival in the park next to the start/finish, but the three of us just wanted to shower and grab lunch, so skipped the festival. Post-race, I learned that this was the 5th Annual Providence Marathon, but the race organizers, Cox Rhode Races (@coxrhoderaces) did not even mention that this was the big 5th year of the race, a definite missed opportunity.

The course is basically a long out & back, though there is only one section where you pass runners approaching from the opposite direction.
There were major 100 ft hills at Miles 5.5 to 6.5 and Miles 19 to 20.5, in addition to the numerous other hills.
The Aid Stations were located at miles 1.5, 4.5, 5.5, 7.5, 10.5, 12, 14.5, 16.5, 17.5, 19, 20.5, 22.5, 23.5 and 24.5. Some aid stations had GU Energy Gels and Gatorade. They advertised bananas and candy, none of which I saw.

The mile markers on this course were way off. Some appeared early, like the Mile 18 marker. Others appeared late, like the Mile 25 marker. You definitely need to wear a GPS watch when running this race.

I beat my Kentucky Derby Marathon time from last week by 7 seconds, running my 3rd best time and 6th marathon in under 3:30. I was hoping for a sub-3:25, so am very happy with my results. I decided to run Providence in order to sub4 it (instead of attempting the Newport Marathon in Oct, which would have been the back end of a double). The last time I ran in Rhode Island was in 2010 at the Newport Marathon, and finished in 4:27:06.
I was initially registered for the USA Track & Field National 24 Hour Championships at North Coast 24 in Cleveland, OH with Jackie Choi, but withdrew, due to lack of ultra fitness. I am too conditioned to road marathons now. I also decided to cut back on travel these next couple of weeks, so did not opt to join Thunder or Becky at their Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH.

As for the race, the weather was nice, starting off at a slightly cold 48F and rising to 65F. The course was hilly and tough, and was not that scenic (mainly suburban and through some parks along bike paths). We started in downtown PVD and quickly headed across the river east to the suburbs. The race started off overcast, and the sun did appear late in the race, making it a bit hot since the course was exposed, but became overcast again. During parts of the later half, we were running alongside live traffic, which is always unsettling.

Mile 24 involved crossing back over the Seekonk River along a bridge for I-195. I heard many complaints about the tight spacing for the running path for it. When I came across it, there weren't many of us there. I had no problems passing the 3 or 4 runners I encountered. I felt strong at that point. A runner in front of me and I almost went down the stairs for the bridge, but luckily a runner behind us warned us to take the ramp down. Those stairs would have messed up our race. You never want to take stairs during a marathon!
For RI, I would recommend the Amica Newport Marathon in Oct. It's a much prettier course, but even tougher than this one.

My Fundraiser
I wore my USA Track & Field jersey to support the Mount Sinai Medical Center in NYC's WTC Health Program charity. I received many USA chants and explained to people about the WTC Health Program after the race.

Thank you to those who provided moral support and especially to those who donated to my 9/11 10th Year Anniversary fundraiser last Sept! With your generosity, I was able to raise $5,550 for the program to provide FREE medical screenings and treatment for our 9/11 First Responders. This is particularly useful to those who are now ailing without medical insurance coverage!

2012/02/23

[2009.07.13] Tony Portera running the first of his four Badwater Ultramarathons.

I first interacted with the ultra legend known as Tony Portera back in 2010 while preparing for my very first 100 mile ultramarathon, the inaugural Beast of Burden Summer 100. My friends Marco Cheung, Rick Thiounn (opted for the 24 hour race), & I had signed up and had no idea the torment and indescribable journey we were about to embark on, a distance that is a mere jog for Tony. On the Marathon Maniacs calendar, I noticed that Tony had also registered and contacted him. We met up pre-race and he was supportive through out the race. Tony went on to finish the 100 in an impressive sub-24 time of 22:47:14 while none of us (Marco - DNF at Mile 62.5, Rick - 50 miles, & I - DNF at Mile 93) made it up to 100 miles.

Tony willingly took on an ultra running mentor role, keeping in touch and providing me with invaluable ultra running tips. Two months after my failed first attempt, we both ran the 2010 Javelina Jundred where I managed to finish, but with badly blistered feet (so bad that I needed to be in a wheelchair at the airport when returning home). Again, Tony was there to provide me with advice on how to cope with the pain and quickly recover, by using an epsom salt + hyrdrogen peroxide (substitutable with witch hazel) solution that acts as a magical potion to revive mangled feet.

I would continue to see Tony at successive 100's and during these races, he would offer up tidbits of his ultra running wisdom in helping me cope with various ailments that naturally arise from running ultras, from hamstring strains (2010 Umstead) to heat exhaustion (2011 Beast of Burden Summer 100). In the brief time I have known Tony, he has gone on to finish an impressive 7 more 100's, 2011 Brazil 135 (part of a record breaking 350 mile Caminho Da Fé pilgrimage journey), & 2011 Badwater 135.

Not only has Tony demonstrated a laudable ultra running track record (his first 100 was less than 4.5 years ago at the 2007 Grand Teton 100 on 2007/09/01, and he has finished all 19 of the 100 & 135 mile races he has attempted), he has been a noble ambassador of the sport, supporting the Challenged Athletes Foundation and raising over $100,000 for the charitable foundation through his various fundraisers. I look up to Tony greatly, am very thankful for his compassionate support, and aspire to be as kind and as helpful as he has been to our fellow ultra runners and to one day follow in his footsteps to be accepted into and complete his favorite all-time race: the Badwater Ultramarathon.

Two days ago, Tony learned the good news that he has been accepted into his 4th consecutive Badwater race, receiving one of 90 coveted spots. It is a testament to how well-respected and inspirational of a runner and human being he is.

And now, as the very first runner of RunKino.com monthly "Inspirational Runners" feature, I present to you Anthony "Badwater / Brazil 135" Portera:

RUNNING HISTORY
First Marathon: 2004 Twin Cities Marathon (MN), age 33
Total Marathons: 22
Total Ultras: 46 (19 100+ milers)
Total Marathons+Ultras: 68
Marathon PR: 3:40:16, 2007 Long Island Marathon (NY)
100-Mile PR: 19:24:46, 2010 Umstead 100 (NC)
135-Mile PR: 39:59:14, 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon (CA)
24-Hr PR: I haven’t taken a stab at one yet, but I’d love to.
Training Miles / Week: It depends on several factors, including what type of training (base vs. core vs. recovery, etc...) and what race I’m preparing for. It can be anywhere from 40 to 100 miles per week.

LIKES
Favorite Charities / Running Causes: Challenged Athletes Foundation
Favorite Running Books:
1.) Death Valley Ultras: The Complete Crewing Guide by Theresa Daus-Weber and Denise Jones
2.) Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons by Bryon Powell
3.) Running on Empty by Marshall Ulrich
4.) The Death Valley 300 by Richard Benyo
Favorite Running Websites: Besides irunultras.com..... :) There are probably too many to list.
Favorite Quote: "The episodes in life that last so many years in memory are often measured in fleeting minutes as they happen. In minutes, this won’t last very long, but the memories sure will."

QUESTIONS
1.) Describe your life before running.I started running in 2004 at the age of 33, but it wasn’t until 2008 when I became serious about it and, in particular, the 100-mile distance. I had a fairly normal childhood, traveled a bit as my family moved here and there due to Dad’s job, went to college, then law school where I met my best friend and wife, and had two amazing daughters.

2.) What prompted you to start running, and how old were you at the time?2004. I was 33 and 205 pounds (today I’m typically between 160-165 pounds). My oldest daughter had just turned 3 and my youngest was going to be 2 later in the year. I drank a lot of beer, especially on Saturday’s and Sundays during the football season. I just wanted to get in shape and be active as my kids grew up, but I had no idea it would balloon into what it has become today. There were two guys in my neighborhood that were into running – Ira Zaroff and Peter Hirsh. We started meeting every morning before work for training runs. Peter was a seasoned marathoner. Ira and I were just starting out. So, we picked a marathon and decided to go for it. Ultimately, Ira and I began reading about ultrarunning...Dean Karnazes book, Ultramarathon Man. And I heard about this race called the Badwater Ultramarathon. Then the fun began.

3.) Why do you love running and what keeps you motivated to continue running?There are so many things that I love about running. It is so serene, providing hours and hours of time for reflection. It is challenging, and tests the limits of human endurance, pushing the human mind and body in unique ways. It can be so defeating at times, but yet so rewarding and educational. Running brings out a hodgepodge of emotions – anxiety, elation, despair, disappointment, hope – but, ultimately, it is a great facilitator of the triumph of the human spirit.

What keeps me motivated to continue running? For one, the desire to continue to have the great learning experiences that running has already provided. And then, there are the people (many have become friends) that I have met through running. Their accomplishments, their drive, their unwillingness to accept defeat and to always move forward.....they are all heroes to me, and they keep me motivated to always strive to be better – better in running and better in life.

4.) What running gear and nutritional products do you prefer?On the gear side, I’ll try just about anything. Brooks and Saucony have been my shoes of choice for the last several years. Drymax Socks. Nathan handhelds. The new UltrAspire packs looks great, but I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet. On the nutrition side, primarily Hammer Nutrition products – Hammer Gels, Heed and Perpetuem. For a recovery drink, I really like Ultragen.

5.) Describe your first marathon experience and did you envision running any more marathons after that?It was the 2004 Twin Cities Marathon. I was 33. I loved it and hated it at the same time, but was ecstatic when I crossed the finish line (4:07:33). At the time, it was the most difficult thing I had done in my life from an endurance perspective. When I finished, I’m certain I said “no mas”....but I would do 4 more in 2005 before getting into ultrarunning.

6.) What are your Top 5 favorite races, marathon-distance or longer, and why?For me, there really is only one - the Badwater Ultramarathon. It is grueling, deflating, and full of despair, yet it is so unexplainably life-affirming, rewarding, reflective, and full of triumph. It is a race and a place where the ordinary can become extraordinary. A place where you can drift off into a state where you are one with your surroundings. The event is so well organized.....the race staff and volunteers are amazing and provide an experience like no other I have seen.

If I had to list 4 more, Brazil 135 would be next on the list. What a fantastic location for a 135-mile race, in Brazil on the Caminho Da Fe. I got to see so much out there that I wouldn’t have seen but for this race – the surroundings.....the people.....all amazing.

3 more.....I’d probably go with Umstead 100, Javelina 100 and the Walt Disney World Marathon. Umstead and Javelina simply because they are such well put-on events with great people (and I’ve done quite well at each). Disney because my family is a Disney family. We went 7 years in a row (missing for the first time in 2012) and just love it there.

7.) What is your proudest running accomplishment?You would probably think I would say finishing the Badwater Ultramarathon – I’ve done so 3 times (2009, 2010 and 2011). Well, actually, it is not finishing it but the honor of being accepted 3 times that I consider my proudest accomplishment, followed of course by completing the race. Also, in January of 2011 I, along with friends Chris Roman and Jarom Thurston, ran the entire length of Brazil’s Caminho Da Fe (about 340 miles, including running the Brazil 135 in 55 hours straight in the middle) to raise funds and awareness for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. That was an amazing experience for an amazing cause.

8.) Describe your biggest setback in running and how did you bounce back from that experience?I’ll go with obstacles, the biggest of which for me is finding the time to “fit it all in” while being a good husband and father. It is often tough to try to find time in the day for everything. Wake-up is around 4 AM on week days...training done by 6:30 AM...then off to work an hour later.

9.) Who have been influential in your running career?The people that I have met on this incredible running journey are the most influential. Each and every person has their own story, their own demons, and their own triumphs. It is really amazing to see so many folks out there giving it all they have, and each one of them has had a unique impact on my own running career. On the mentor side, it is amazing how many runners have offered their help and advice. Over the course of time I’ve received guidance from superstars such as Lisa Smith-Batchen, Bryon Powell, Jamie Donaldson, Dan Rose, Rick Gaston, Andy Jones-Wilkins, Matt Hart, Jill Perry, David James, Phil McCarthy, Ray Zahab, Chris Roman, Charlie Engle, and many more. Many times that guidance/advice comes right in the middle of a 100-miler! It is simply amazing how this community helps other runners out. Just amazing.

10.) Do you use running to give back in any sort of way and are there any particular runners that you mentor?Absolutely. As always, we raise funds and awareness for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and our 2012 fundraising effort will kickoff soon. I’m always happy to give my advice and share my experiences through “coaching”, and have worked with a few folks over the last year or so. My email box is always open. Pacing and crewing....love it. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than helping someone strive to reach their goals.

FINAL WORDSFeel free to add anything else, give thanks, or shout outs.Shout-outs and thank-yous would take pages and pages to write, but I will say this – never stop striving to be a better person, whether it be a better runner, friend, parent, son/daughter, etc.... Always have faith, even in times that may seem hopeless. Always move forward, one step at a time, and live each second of life as if it was the last.

I ran my first marathon in 5:00:15, back in 2008. I went on to PR the first five marathons I ran (and first 6 out of 7). It took until my 15th marathon to break 4 hours, at the 2009 Asbury Park Relay Marathon, with a time of 3:59:41, with the help of Marco Cheung & Mike Moschitta who helped pace me. Two weeks later, I bested that time with a 3:56:07 at the 2009 New York City Marathon. In 2010, you can see that I regressed. That was mainly due to coming off a calf strain injury (from the Beast of Burden Summer 100) and focusing on conquering the 100 by running many doubles (and not focusing on marathon times). I regained my form in 2011 by running 14 sub-4's (6 in 6 straight weeks, all in different states + Germany), and setting 5 new PR's. I experienced a major breakthrough at the 2011 Berlin Marathon with a 3:38:21 marathon with a huge help from Steven Thunder Lee who paced me for the second half of the race, helping me to negative split. I lowered that PR, two weeks later, at the 2011 Portland Marathon with a time of 3:36:53, despite being halted momentarily by a passing freight train. As for my average marathon times, if I didn't run any doubles (2 marathons in 2 days), my average would be significantly lower.

2011 was a successful and prolific year in which I was fortunate to have traveled to many states and countries (Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Canada, & Germany) for running, shared lifelong memories with the best of friends, met a lot of inspirational and quality individuals, and set PR's in all distances from a marathon and up (50K, 50M, 100K, 100M, & 24hr). I also achieved Marathon Maniacs 10-Star Titanium status and have made it into a couple press articles (Examiner.com and Pavement Pieces).

I am now on pace to run my 100th marathon + ultra at Comrades on 6/3/2012. I am also set to finish my 50 States quest on 12/9/2012 at the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii with my one of my best friends and impressive runner himself, Steven Thunder Lee.

My training miles above are very shameful, and I have no one to blame other than myself. Many of my race-time bonks could have been avoided with adequate training. I have made it a resolution to train hard in 2012 and not lose "the gift" as Pre calls this gift of running, see the quote at the top of this entry.

In particular, this video made me realize this and provided me with the passion to love training and not disdain it:
"Exercise Each Day As If Your Life Depends On It!"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQA3Tvkg_s
You don't have to be a fruitarian to take in his message of a healthy lifestyle. I no longer view "training" as a chore. I now use it as a mode of transportation to get from place A to place B, as part of my daily life.

I have started my #RunStreak on 12/25/2011 (it ended on 2/6/2012 after Day 43 due to a sprained toe sustained at 2012 Rocky Raccoon 100, but restarted on 2/9/2012), by running 10 miles with my running buddy Jim Pease and have kept it going since. The idea of a #RunStreak was first introduced to me by my friend Dave Shannon from Minnesota. The next time you think, "It's too cold to run outside today", try thinking about Dave and him keeping up a #RunStreak up in St Paul, MN!

With increased training miles in 2012, I anticipate faster road marathon times and better 100 mile & 24 hour results. Big things are in store! It is all thanks to friends making me accountable for my training now and to useful tools such as DailyMile and my Garmin watch, to push me to run further and more frequently.